Hailing from Leeds, England, The Lodger tear pages from the books of fellow northerners The Smiths and The Housemartins, along with Scots Belle & Sebastian, on their debut record, Grown-Ups, which is chock full of that version of power pop that sounds so exquisitely British to my American ears. Grown-Ups sparkles with tightly-wound melodies, chiming guitars, and shot-gun, staccato rhythms, all of which add up to a distinct sound that smiles at you like the young son of an old friend.The Lodger's clever lyrics are full of the melancholy that comes with bidding adieu to the carelessness of youth and shrugging to one's place in the line for adulthood. In contrast, the music jangles along with all of the optimism of newfound self-confidence and self-awareness. Even though The Lodger may draw inspiration from readily identifiable sources, any similarity to their predecessors in no way detracts from the freshness of the music on Grown-Ups. I have no idea what it's like to be a young Brit, but my romanticized idea of it (based on a lifetime of Anglophilic music fandom) sounds a lot like this.
MP3: The Lodger - "A Free Period" from Grown-Ups
YouTube: The Lodger - "Let Her Go" from Grown-Ups
